The truth behind hoarding

HOUSTON—On Houston’s southeast side near Telephone Road, nearly everyone knows George Sterling and what he does every day.

"Most of the stuff I am getting rid of. I was cleaning up out here." Sterling said. "Yeah I just got a few things left."

But according to his neighbors, the truth is Sterling’s doesn’t sell anything, and he never throws anything away. The City of Houston says he’s a hoarder.

Deep under four-foot-high weeds, he shows us one of his prized possessions.

"An old old lemonade stand probably 1930’s. I need to refinish it," said Sterling.
Carlos Mateos lives right next door.

"He brings everything. Everything he finds on the street and what other people throw away he brings over here," said Mateos. "He says he's making money on it."

Sterling owns two lots. One of them is where he lives. His home sits behind a locked gate.

"You don’t want to take me in there and show me,?" asked KHOU photographer Gregg Hamilton.

"No, you’ll just have to come back," Sterling replied.

Neighbors said he never invites anyone inside his house, which has no lights or running water.

While there are a number of mental illnesses that can drive a person to hoard, most of the time it's found in people with OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder. Researchers believe there could be as many as 1.2 million hoarders in the United States. There’s a good chance a hoarder can be found near you—a neighbor who probably needs help.

"You know, the number one thing is safety issues particularly for older adults. Is this part of a larger self neglect syndrome? In addition to hoarding are they also not taking their medication, you know not getting the medical care that they need. Not eating," said Dr. Mark Kunik with the VA Hospital.

In East Harris County, KHOU.com found a woman who Adult Protective Services just visited.

We asked her how much stuff was in her house before they came by.

"Oh, goodnight, I couldn’t begin to tell you," said Brenda, who didn’t want her full identity known.

Brenda said loneliness and boredom led her to hoard.

"I got tired and sometimes I just throw things here and there," said Brenda.

So Adult Protective Services jumped in to help—probably saving her life—although right now, she’s not very grateful.

"No, No. They just started stuffing trash bags and away they went," said Brenda.

Her house is still a total mess, because after the all the trash was removed we found rotted floors. None of the electrical outlets were working during our visit. There were broken windows, and we found a dead rat in her bathroom tub.

Brenda, a 64-year-old woman with no family she can count on, must rely on a small monthly pension check.

She said because of an unknown illness, she’s called 911 several times and she was recently taken to the hospital. But people who know her believe she's struggling with depression, because all her stuff—the trash—is gone.

"Part of the therapy is trying to find something that is meaningful to try and fill that void," said Dr. Kunik

As for Sterling, the city has spent more than $50,000 taking his stuff away, only to see him fill his property again and again. What does he think about them?

"Well they’re trying to get back to the moon, they should put all of them back up there where it's barren," Sterling said. "For us earthlings we need to have stuff."

Stuff hoarders say they can’t live without.